How Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls are Changing Voter Outreach

For years, political campaigns faced a frustrating truth: while we could reach cell phones through Live Calls and Texting, Auto Calls were limited to landlines. That left a massive gap in voter contact, especially among younger voters who rely almost entirely on their mobile phones.

Not anymore. Thanks to Stones’ Phones’ commitment to compliance, creativity, and cutting-edge technology, we introduced the Live Voice Broadcast—also known as the Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Call. This breakthrough approach is transforming last-minute voter mobilization and making once-unreachable audiences reachable.

Reaching ‘Unreachable’ Voters

The restriction around cell phone dialing for Auto Calls has created a substantial hurdle in voter contact programs, particularly for younger voters who rely almost exclusively on cell phones.

In November 2023, as Ohio voters prepared to weigh in on Issue 2 to legalize recreational marijuana, this challenge was front and center. Our partners at the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol needed to reach students at The Ohio State University, a demographic that largely doesn’t use landlines and is notoriously difficult to reach with traditional phone banking. With just hours left before the polls closed, time was of the essence. And with the increasing saturation of text messaging campaigns, finding effective ways to reach young voters through alternative cell phone communication channels was even more critical for successful voter outreach. So we got creative.

We deployed Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls, combining the efficiency of automated dialing with the authenticity of a live, human voice. The idea is simple: Instead of a pre-recorded message, voters receive a call and hear a real person delivering a persuasive message in real time.

Because the speaker is live, the call complies with regulations that prohibit automated recordings to cell phones. And because it’s delivered to a large number of voters at once, campaigns can still achieve the scale they need with a quick turnaround.

In Ohio, we not only delivered an Election Day GOTV message to thousands of cell phone users, but we also crafted a message that tapped into local sentiment. Drawing from the Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry, we referenced Michigan's recent sign-stealing scandal to highlight another form of 'theft'—Ohio residents crossing state lines to spend their marijuana tax dollars in Michigan.

The messaging was bold, timely, and relevant to the student audience.

As a result, around 80% of the students targeted were reached, either through a live answer or a voicemail. Most importantly, Issue 2 passed and became one of the most significant progressive wins of the year.

Going Beyond GOTV

Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls aren't just for GOTV. They’re also ideal for interactive alerts, especially when time is of the essence. That’s exactly what the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) needed in the lead-up to the voter registration deadline in 2024.

When thousands of voters in Georgia were quietly purged from the voter rolls, GAE needed to quickly inform its membership. Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls provided a fast, scalable, and personal urgent solution.

We elevated the technique by integrating interactive features. During the live call, educators were prompted to press “6” to receive a follow-up text with a direct link to check on their registration status. This bridged the gap between awareness and action in a single, seamless voter contact.

This was more than a call. It was a full-circle engagement strategy that empowered voters to take immediate action.

Why Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls Work

Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls represent the best of both worlds. They maintain the human touch that’s often missing from mass communication while also delivering the speed and scale of automated outreach.

Here’s what makes them a game-changer:

Legal Compliance with High Impact: By using live speakers, campaigns can reach cell phone users without running afoul of regulations.
Higher Pickup and Engagement Rates: Younger voters and busy professionals are far more likely to answer calls to their cell phones, and they’re more likely to stay on a call when it feels personal.
Built-in Interactivity: With push-button responses, Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls can gather data, offer resources, and even launch same-day text follow-ups.
Creative Messaging: The live messages can be tailored to the audience or the cultural moment, whether it’s college football rivalries or voting rights in jeopardy.

Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls aren’t just a workaround, they’re a new way forward. These calls are perfect for large campaigns or organizations with a large supporter base.

By speaking directly to voters and creating multiple touchpoints for engagement, Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls are helping organizations win ballot measures, protect voting rights, and win their campaigns.